MITZI DAVIS

QUICK FACTS

Years As An Artist8 yearsMain Clay BodyMid-Range B-Mix and U Arts Cone 6 Casting Slip, and I also use a proprietary porcelain clay blend that I have stocked in my studio.Primary Clay Building MethodsWheel throwing and slip castingFavorite Studio Tool My comfort grip X-acto knife. Clay Wishes or DreamsI would love to see a ceramics center in Savannah that supported all things clay: resident artists, exhibitions, education, events, etc.

Creating handmade functional pots is a need that will probably never leave me. Pots make us pay attention. When a hand-made handle is uncomfortable, you then begin to notice how a comfortable pot feels. It opens a dialogue between friends, associates or family. Pots teach us about ourselves. It’s a new experience with each piece. As a user, we realize our preferences for particular shapes, sizes, colors or textures. We become more familiar with our food and how it interacts with a certain shape or texture.

ARTIST STATEMENT

My ceramic work embodies comfort and youthful delight. I seek to capture humorous observations and playful details that reconstruct thoughts of past experiences and events. I am interested in various interpretations of domesticity, shelter and freedom. Using memories as an influence, whether it’s fond recollections of childhood bedtime stories, imaginative games or daily chores, I reconstruct visual scenes to express these ideas in my work. I hope that through my artistic choices of color, line and shape, I can merge these concepts with contemporary design to produce a final stimulating, functional piece.

I explore two main bodies of work. The first is strictly functional, where I consider form and surface to produce a visually stimulating, yet unpretentious and usable pot. The second is a merging of function and sculpture. This "caged" series became a way of expressing the more challenging emotions I had from my youth. These pieces serve as functional pottery, but the intricate aggregate is a vessel, not intended to be used on a daily basis, but for the occasional celebration.

ARTIST BIO

Mitzi Davis graduated with her B.F.A. in Art, emphasis in Ceramics, from Shorter University in 2008. After graduating, she secured the position as the Ceramic Arts Technician at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and has remained there as her artist career has progressed. Mitzi's artwork is currently exhibited across the U.S. and has had gallery representation in Georgia. She was an UncommonGoods Ceramic Design Challenge Finalist in 2011. ​Mitzi began pursuing a degree in Arts Administration at SCAD in 2013, in order to understand legal and business aspects that could increase her effectiveness as a ceramic arts advocate and maker. She completed an internship at Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD, in 2015, and received M.A. in Arts Administration in 2016. Mitzi plans to continue focusing on her own studio practice, while also working to increase opportunities for ceramic arts education and professional development within communities.

CONTACT INFO

Visit Mitzi's website, ​http://www.mitzidavis.com/, to find out where you can purchase her work. Feel free to message her directly from her "Contact" page with inquiries.